Chapter 25

Holes

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

“That’s our schoolhouse. It shows how much we value education here in Green Lake.”

Read the passage aloud. Who might be speaking, and how do they sound?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what happens in the chapter, in order: Sam and his onions, the repairs to the schoolhouse, and what happens in the rain at the end.

1. The chapter opens with a long, funny account of Sam and his onions before Miss Katherine appears. Why might the author begin that way?Author's choice

2. Miss Katherine keeps finding something else for Sam to fix, and is sad when the roof is done. What does that tell you about her?Character

3. Sam fixes the roof for six jars of spiced peaches, and later fixes the windows for two more. What would make that deal fair or unfair?Moral reasoning

4. People passing by say, “That’s our schoolhouse. It shows how much we value education here in Green Lake.” How might Sam hear those words?Inference

5. Hattie Parker whispers, “God will punish you!” What do you hear in her voice?Tone

Make a Connection Tell about a time a group praised something while leaving someone out of it. What did you notice?

Vocabulary

Crossword

1			2	3	4


	5

	6


7		8

Across

Across 1. To think something is important.
Across 3. To look at with pleasure and respect.
Across 5. Mixtures made by combining things.
Across 7. To feel bitter about.

Down

Down 2. Learning and teaching at school.
Down 4. With your mind on something else.
Down 6. A treatment that makes a sickness better.
Down 8. Given in return for something.

The words in the chapter

value how much we value education here in Green Lake
education we value education here in Green Lake
resent Doc Hawthorn did not resent Sam.
remedy Another was a remedy for arthritis.
concoctions onion concoctions from Sam

distracted You seem distracted.
exchange in exchange for six jars of spiced peaches
admire People passing by would stop and admire it.
quivering her quivering finger in their direction

Define These Words

quivering: Shaking with a small, quick motion.

Critical thinking

1. Sam says Mary Lou is almost fifty and that onions could let a person live two hundred years. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why the town goes along with him.

2. Miss Katherine is surprised by Sam's interest in poetry. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what that surprise shows.

3. Miss Katherine wants to throw her arms around Sam but hugs Mary Lou instead. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what might stop her.